Trade unionist calls for review of regulations relating to firefighters

Helene Davis Whyte, General Secretary of the Jamaica Association of Local Government Officers [JALGO] is urging that there be a review of the regulations governing disciplinary action and working hours of fire fighters.

Mrs Davis Whyte contends that the review is an urgent necessity, as the current regulations are more than 30 years old and must be aligned with modern industrial standards.

In an appearance Tuesday on Radio Jamaica’s Beyond the Headlines, she pointed to the time allotted for disciplinary hearings, noting that, as it stands now, fire fighters can be suspended for years without having a disciplinary hearing.

She highlighted one instance in which a firefighter was suspended in 2008 and the matter was only resolved in 2020.

Mrs Davis-Whyte also highlighted the fact that firefighters currently have to abide by a 24 hour work day, an issue which was raised by suspended firefighter Leo Bennett during his protest atop the Halfway Tree Transport Centre last month.

Leo Bennett's suspension was lifted following a hearing on Friday.